The three critical ingredients, he argues, are a strong state, the application of the rule of law to all parts of society and a means of holding rulers to account for their actions.

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Nevertheless, the laws are a poor way to start building a society in Northern Ireland based on respect for the rule of law.

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We all know what is needed -- a transition that is timely, new laws and a constitution that uphold the rule of law, political parties and a strong civil society, and, for the first time in Libyan history, free and fair elections.

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It can illustrate just how much more precarious the world is for women than for men, especially when society and civilization break down, and thugs and maniacs have replaced the rule of law.

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Banning hate speech makes sense to me, and I can make a pretty good case against incitement to violence, particularly in a society that is mostly at peace and lives more or less by the rule of law.

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